A development company is proposing the construction of a massive solar farm covering 1,200 acres in two townships that border western Genesee County.

Representatives of Ranger Power said Tuesday, Oct. 16, that they have lease agreements or purchase options for the contiguous, mostly farm and vacant land in Hazelton and Venice townships, and expect to request a special use permit to allow for the $250-million project by the end of this year.

Ranger Power and Wabash Valley Power (WVPA) have expanded their partnership with a new 30-year agreement for WVPA to purchase 99 MW of power from a second solar project being developed by Ranger Power in Illinois. The newly expanded partnership follows WVPA and Ranger’s recently announced 99 MW power purchase agreement for the Prairie State Solar project.

Wabash Valley Power’s member co-ops will benefit from a recently completed long-term agreement to purchase the energy and capacity generated by what will be the largest solar array ever built in the state of Illinois.

NextEra Energy Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is moving forward on four large solar projects in Maine that are expected to be commercially active by 2019. The company acquired Yarmouth-based Ranger Solar’s portfolio earlier this year.

The Board of Selectmen approved a resolution to accept what could be a $7 million tax deal with the Quinebaug Solar Project.

The two-page resolution outlines the payment schedule for the town over 20 years and First Selectman Rick Ives said it could bring in the town up to $7 million, depending on how much of the project ends up in Brooklyn.

State regulators have approved a massive Windsor County solar array that will be four times the size of any such project built in Vermont so far.

The Coolidge Solar project, to be built in Ludlow and Cavendish, will be capable of producing 20 megawatts of power. The largest existing array in Vermont is just under 5 megawatts, according to state officials

A Yarmouth-based energy company is proposing a pair of new solar projects – in Fairfield and Clinton – that could generate enough power for 6,000 out-of-state homes combined and create more than 200 jobs locally.

Three states in New England this week concluded the project-evaluation phase of their Clean Energy Request for Proposal (RFP), selecting a half-dozen solar and wind developers backing projects totaling 460MW.

Sanford City Council on Tuesday approved an updated lease agreement for 390 acres of city-owned property at Sanford-Seacoast Regional Airport on which Ranger Solar of Yarmouth plans to develop a utility-scale solar project that would be one of the largest in Maine and one of only 25 similar solar projects at airports in the United States.

A Maine-based company appears to have found a formula to win local backing for often controversial solar-energy projects: careful siting, a dose of patience and a willingness to alter plans to overcome objections.

I have spent the past several months going door to door, talking with New Hampshire voters throughout state Senate District 8. As a Republican candidate for this seat, I have discussed my vision to bolster vocational training, lower business taxes, develop a smart energy plan and address the opioid crisis. Listening to my fellow Granite Staters, one thing is clear — a united desire to keep New Hampshire’s high standard of living intact for future generations.

A Yarmouth-based energy company is in the early stages of bringing a utility-scale solar farm to Farmington that could break ground in 2018 and eclipse the size of any solar installation now operating in Maine

As local opponents of fracked gas and oil — and of the continued use of fossil fuels in general — applaud the demise of the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline project and fret about the prospect of the state allowing energy firms to charge ratepayers up-front for their construction costs, we again note the advisability of diversifying the type of energy generation in the region